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The next generation of mobile phone technology known as 5G is on its way. And it won’t just speed up downloads. The industry says 5G - the fifth generation of mobile phone technology - will revolutionise society by connecting more services all around us including transport and buildings - the so-called Internet of Things.

But some people are urging caution because of concerns over the health effects of the electromagnetic frequency radiation in the radio waves used to carry the signals. They warn of scientific studies which show an increased risk of cancer in humans and harm to animals, plants and insects.

The Government’s adviser Public Health England says health effects are “unlikely” at exposure to levels below international guidelines used by the industry.

Operator O2 declares: “This new technology has the power to connect buildings, transport and services in ways we’ve never seen, completely revolutionising everything from the way traffic flows on our roads, to the way we receive health care.”

Equipment around the country is being upgraded as the 5G signal use higher frequency radio waves than before to carry more connections, but it works over shorter distances so more base stations are needed.

Demonstrators raising concerns about the health effects of 5G gathered at a meeting of Torbay Council (Image: Ed Oldfield)

At Torbay in Devon, signatures are being gathered on a petition calling on the council to halt the roll-out of the technology. A group gathered at a meeting of the local council at a school in Torquay, with banners and placards outlining their worries.

Spokesperson Julie Harrison, 55, a health and lifestyle consultant and lifelong resident of Paignton, spoke about the health risks and asked the council to consider pausing the installation of new equipment.

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She highlighted a moratorium - or delay - declared by town councils in Devon at nearby Totnes and Kingsbridge, and a precautionary approach being taken in Somerset at Glastonbury, Frome and Shepton Mallet. The lower-level town councils can only advise and have no planning powers, but Torbay is the decision-making planning authority.

Ms Harrison told councillors that the 5G technology has had “no adequate or credible long term health testing on anything organic that has life force energy.”

Julie Harrison of Paignton, with 5G campaigners (Image: Ed Oldfield)

She added: “This, of course, includes human beings, and I urge you to very seriously consider whether you will allow the installation and operation of 5G in our towns until there is further testing, and much more clarity and truth about its consequential health effects on human beings, especially children and the environment including trees, pollinators, animals, birds and insects.

“There is a massive worldwide resistance to the prospect of exposure to this unprecedented level of debilitating frequency emissions that has never had any finite health assurances from either the providers or from central government.”

Demonstrators raising concerns about the health effects of 5G gathered at a meeting of Torbay Council (Image: Ed Oldfield)

The council’s cabinet member for public health, Jackie Stockman, replied that the council would listen to people’s concerns, but added that the local authority had to work within the national planning policy guidelines and advice from Public Health England.

In Torbay, 5G planning applications are starting to arrive in the system. One has been lodged to upgrade the equipment in Goodrington Road, Paignton, outside the entrance to the Beverley Holidays Park.

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The application on behalf of EE and Three is to replace the 13.5m pole with one 20m high, and install six cabinets. Staff and directors of the holiday park are objecting, and a decision has yet to be made. A certificate with the application states the equipment fully complies with the public exposure guidelines.

Mobile phone equipment in Goodrington Road, Paignton (Image: Google)

5G is similar to the previous generations of the technology by using radio waves to carry the signal between the handset and the antenna on a pole or tower at a base station. The waves transmitted from base stations are a form of non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, which includes radio and TV signals as well as light.

5G uses waves in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum, a higher frequency than the earlier systems.

What are the concerns about 5G?

People concerned about the technology say scientific studies have found an increased risk of some cancers in experiments on animals exposed to electromagnetic fields. They point out the insurance body Lloyds of London is refusing to offer cover against claims resulting from the health effects of the technology.

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The campaigners also fear that the population is effectively being used in a mass experiment, as no one really knows what the long-term effects of exposure will be.

Ms Harrison handed out a leaflet raising concerns over the safety of 5G, claiming “serious biological effects” including “cancer, nervous system disruption” and “reproductive impairment” caused by radio frequency radiation.

The document, published by the Physicians’ Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment (PHIRE), claims children are more vulnerable, along with the elderly, pregnant, infirm and hypersensitive, and the radiation could cause biological damage in animals and plants. It adds the public has not given informed consent for exposure and there are no safety limits in the UK on non-thermal effects.

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The website for the PHIRE describes it as an independent association of medical doctors and specialists with the aim of improving education about the effects of non-ionising radiation, working within the non-profit independent charity the EM Radiation Research Trust.

There is plenty of information online questioning the safety of 5G. The Environmental Health Trust, based in the United States where the technology is also being introduced, describes itself as an independent think-tank promoting a healthier environment. It published a clip on YouTube in which a government committee is told there is no ongoing industry-funded research into the health effects of 5G technology. “We’re kind of flying blind here, as far and health and safety is concerned,” Senator Richard Blumenthal comments.

The trust highlights a series of scientific studies from around the world reporting radio frequency radiation can cause adverse health effects to humans including cancers, and damage to DNA - the genetic code contained with cells. It also reports studies showing harm to wildlife including birds, insects and plants.

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What does the Government say about health effects of 5G?

Public Health England (PHE) devotes a website page to the health effects of radio waves from mobile phone base stations, last updated in May 2019. It says independent expert groups in the UK and internationally have examined years of research evidence, and adds: “Their conclusions support the view that health effects are unlikely to occur if exposures are below international guideline levels.”

PHE’s advice follows the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, which is recognised by the World Health Organisation and is consulted by the European Commission. It set guidelines to avoid excessive heating of the body, applying to frequencies used by 5G as well as older technology.

The PHE advice refers to the European Commission’s scientific advice committee on public health. After a review of the evidence, its opinion given in 2015 “explains that the results of current scientific research show that there are no evident adverse health effects if exposure remains below the levels set by current standards.”

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Research is ongoing, and Public Health England says it “continues to monitor the health-related evidence applicable to radio-wave exposures and is committed to providing any advice that might be necessary.”

The World Health Organisation puts all radio frequency radiation as “possibly” cancer-causing because of inconclusive evidence, in the same category as eating pickled vegetables and using talcum powder. Alcohol and processed meats are in a higher category because the evidence is stronger.

A toxicology report released in 2018 by the US Department of Health found that male rats exposed to high doses of radio frequency radiation developed a type of cancerous tumour in the heart. But a scientist on the study said the results could not be compared to human cell phone exposure, according to a BBC report.